Former President Roh Tae-woo's 'State Funeral' Decision... "Leaves a Wrong Precedent," "He Is a Historical Criminal"

Former President No Tae-woo to Receive State Funeral for Five Days Until the 30th... Will Not Be Buried in the National Cemetery

On the 27th, the government decided to hold the state funeral for the late former President Roh Tae-woo over five days. Citizens are paying their respects to the deceased at the state funeral altar set up at the An Byeong-geun Olympic Memorial Judo Hall in Dalseo-gu, Daegu.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Civic groups are strongly opposing the government's decision to hold a state funeral for the late former President Roh Tae-woo, who served as the 13th president. Some have criticized Roh as a "historical criminal."

The Military Human Rights Center issued a statement on the 27th, pointing out, "Mr. Roh was the mastermind behind the December 12 military coup, the May 17 rebellion, and the May 18 Gwangju massacre."

The center defined the former president as a "serious criminal who will be remembered in constitutional history," stating, "The Moon Jae-in administration has set a wrong precedent that even if a soldier massacres citizens to seize power, orders subordinate units to kill superiors, and instigates a rebellion, as long as they come to power, they must be revered as a leader."

It continued, "Now in the Republic of Korea, even if one stages a coup, they are revered as a national leader, and even if they conspire a coup, as long as they evade capture well, they do not face legal punishment," adding, "The government should be ashamed before the spirits of the May 18 Gwangju victims and the numerous martyrs who devoted themselves to democratization."

Furthermore, it emphasized, "While a state funeral is already absurd, if discussions about enshrinement in the National Cemetery proceed, the government must remember that it will face fierce public resistance."

Former President Roh Tae-woo passed away at the age of 89. On the 27th, mourners paid their respects at the funeral hall set up at Seoul National University Hospital. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Meanwhile, the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) also released a statement, saying, "Mr. Roh, along with Chun Doo-hwan, is a criminal who disrupted the national order for political purposes and killed innocent citizens of Gwangju."

They added, "The government's act of honoring Mr. Roh is a choice that grants amnesty to the May 18 criminals whose historical and judicial evaluations have been concluded, thereby hindering social integration."

Minbyun also directly criticized, "In his 2011 memoir, Mr. Roh claimed that the cause of the May 18 Democratization Movement was that Gwangju citizens were misled by rumors, and he never cooperated with the May 18 Truth Commission's investigation, ultimately hiding the truth until his death."

Finally, they stressed, "The government should no longer make futile efforts such as considering the necessity of honoring historical criminals."

Meanwhile, the funeral for former President Roh, held as a state funeral, will be a five-day event from the 26th to the 30th, and his remains will not be interred in the National Cemetery.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained the background of the state funeral decision, stating, "Although former President Roh has historical faults related to the December 12 incident and the May 18 Democratization Movement, contributions such as the Northern Policy including the Basic Agreement on Reconciliation and Cooperation between North and South Korea after being elected through direct elections, and efforts such as paying fines after sentencing were taken into consideration."